“Wanderlust” means the desire to travel, a longing or impulse towards wandering. It’s become really popular for people today to use the word wanderlust, to feel the need to escape from where they are and find somewhere new. I know for myself, I have always wanted to travel because I haven’t found anywhere I want to stay. When I become too comfortable in a place, it makes me uneasy, and I know that I need to leave. I need to find something more, some kind of adventure. Inspired by my own desire to travel, I created WanderLUST as a way to share these experiences and to stray away from the boring, depressing norms of the media. I was searching for something exciting and new, and when I couldn’t find it, I decided to start a project of my own.

I’ve traveled all around Australia. I had orientation in Melbourne, admiring the graffitti and art all around the city, a cheap yet delicious meal in Chinatown, and had rounds of cheap beer bought for me and my friends at the famous rooftop bar Cookie. I spent a weekend in Sydney, taking pictures outside the extravagant opera house, and exploring the inside, as well as Sydney Harbour Bridge and Darling Harbour (and the way too expensive night scene around there). I hiked the Blue Mountains even when I thought my asthma wasn’t going to let me go further. I spent ten days in New Zealand, doing some of the most adventurous and terrifying things I’d never even dreamed of doing– hiking a glacier, bungy jumping, jet boating, white water rafting, and so much more. I’ve slept on buses and on beaches and in airport terminals. I’ve slept in some shitty hostels, and some really nice ones too, like the one in Cairns with the pool and the hammocks. I’ve scuba dived the Great Barrier Reef. I visited Bali for a week where I got to meditate in some beautiful temples, play with monkeys, buy cheap incense and jewelry, and get full body massages for $5 every day. But I’ve also gone days without eating because I spent my money on flights and tours, or to drink and smoke. And while these certainly make for some interesting stories, people are always much more interested in the juicy stuff. Who’s fucking, who’s fighting, who’s falling in love, who’s failing their classes because they keep getting drunk?

WanderLUST is here to share these kinds of stories from people’s daily adventures whether they are at home or around the world. It’s a judgment free zone, where you can share things you may not usually be inclined to share (because those are always the best). We include articles about sex, awkward situations, drunken endeavors, activism, travel, adventure, humour, art, food, rants, beautiful places around the world, pretty much anything that will make you happy to read and/or write.

I couldn’t be more excited about our first issue and the funny, interesting stories that WanderLUST’s contributors have shared with us, and I look forward to what’s to come. We are constantly looking for new writers, musicians, artists and photographers to share their views, their journey, and their talent. If you think you have something interesting to share or feedback for our magazine, please contact btedesco@arcadia.edu. We’d love to hear what you have to say, and hope you enjoy our first issue and everything that will be coming up.